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The following is a companion blog post to T.J. Capaldi's Spoken Word piece, "The First and the Last," which was one of twelve semi-finalists in our Virtual Talent Show FUNdraiser. You can view the piece HERE. There's a thin line between comedy and reality. You know you're on that line when you're not sure if you're laughing because something is absurd or because it is true. Sometimes the laughter comes from recognition of the harmony between the absurd and the true. Just like the man described in the piece "didn't know the first thing," I didn't know that I would stumble on this kind of harmony when I set out to write something for the 2020 ECHO Virtual Talent Show FUNdraiser Extravaganza.  If you've watched/listened to the piece already, then you know the backstory. I have been reflecting on two new experiences: (1) using dating apps on my phone, and (2) extreme "social distancing."
Something about using a swipe-style dating app where you have to "check yes or no" so to speak on one person at a time is very exciting. It's also rather disconcerting, or at least it was to me. That's not to say these apps are immoral in and of themselves or that no one should use them. I definitely would NOT say that. To be honest, I see a lot of good in some of them, and quite a bit of redeemable value in the whole concept. Still, I couldn't shake this feeling. Was it the weight of the decisions? The possible implications? The missed opportunities? Yes, it was and is all of that and more. In the moments when I began to lose sight of the humanity behind the profile, fear came to the surface. I was afraid of myself and what I knew I could become.
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